As someone who works from home, I often need a nudge to be pulled away from my work; there aren’t as many opportunities for social connections (at least, in person) and that’s something I’ve missed since working for myself. I’m also a self-professed workaholic, always with fear in the back of my mind that if I’m not working all the time everything will somehow go to shit. Combine this mindset with loving what you do and it’s a recipe for not giving yourself much free time. I’m trying to work on this and create a better balance with it all, especially now that the majority of my book is complete. A change of pace is in order! Eric asked me the other night what my professional goals were for the next year and I’m still thinking about it, even toying with ideas like teaching vegan cooking classes, going back to school, and who knows what else. Or maybe I’ll just be content to keep things as is, but with more wiggle room to try new things. Half the fun is figuring it out, I guess.
Several months ago, one of my girlfriends organized a monthly meet-up inviting a group of friends who are all fellow entrepreneurs/business owners. I couldn’t say “count me in” fast enough, knowing it would be a great way to connect with other women who are balancing their businesses (with motherhood, for some), while facing many of the same questions and doubts that I’ve faced myself. In our group we have a photographer, an interior designer, a mortgage broker, an esthetician, a real estate agent, and me, the blogger/future cookbook author. They are all such amazing women and it’s a fun, random mix of experiences and talents. It’s been refreshing to share our struggles and victories together and I’ve even surprised myself at how much I needed this support system. Self-reliance has always been my strength (to a fault, perhaps), but there is no weakness in asking for help, support, or friendship. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Sun-dried Tomato, Mushroom, and Spinach Tofu Quiche
Yield
8
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This was my first time making a tofu quiche and it really surprised us with how amazing it turned out! Even Eric went crazy for this quiche, often enjoying leftovers twice a day until it was finished. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack. I've made this a few different ways simply by changing up the vegetables used. One version used asparagus (1 cup diced) and broccoli (1.5 cups diced), which was also very nice. The only thing I would advise against is using a high-water vegetable, like fresh tomatoes as it might result in a water-logged quiche. Best of all, it reheats well. Simply place leftover quiche on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350F. Inspired by the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water, mixed together
- 1 cup whole almonds, ground into flour
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats or buckwheat groats, ground into flour
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1-2.5 tbsp water, as needed
For the quiche:
- 1 block (14-oz) firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 leek or yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups (8-oz) sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1/2 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4-1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a round 10-inch tart pan. Alternatively, you can use a 9-inch glass pie dish if desired.
- Wrap rinsed tofu in a few tea towels. Place a few books on top of it to lightly press out the water while you prepare the crust.
- For the crust: Whisk together flax and water mixture in a small bowl and set aside so it can gel up.
- In a large bowl, stir together the almond meal, oat flour (or buckwheat flour), parsley, oregano, and salt.
- Add in the flax mixture and oil. Stir until mostly combined, adding the remaining water until the dough is sticky (about the consistency of cookie dough). The dough should stick together when you press it between your fingers.
- Crumble the dough evenly over the base of the tart pan (or pie dish). Starting from the centre of the pan, press the mixture evenly into the pan, working your way outward and up the sides of the pan. Poke a few fork holes in the dough so air can escape.
- Bake the crust at 350F for 13-16 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm to touch. Set aside to cool while you finish preparing the filling. Increase oven temperature to 375F.
- For the filling: Break apart the tofu block into 4 pieces and add into food processor. Process the tofu until smooth and creamy. If it doesn't get creamy, add a tiny splash of almond milk to help it along.
- In a skillet, add oil and saute the leek (or onion) and garlic over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, season with salt, and cook on medium-high heat until most of the water cooks off the mushrooms, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, nutritional yeast, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until combined. Cook until the spinach is wilted.
- Finally, remove from heat and stir in the processed tofu until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning to taste if desired. Spoon mixture into baked crust and smooth out with a spoon until even.
- Bake quiche, uncovered, at 375F for 33-37 minutes, until the quiche is firm to the touch. For best results, cool the quiche for 15-20 minutes on a cooling rack before attempting to slice. The crust may crumble slightly when sliced warm, but not to worry.
- Wrap up leftovers and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Leftover quiche can be reheated in the oven on a baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes at 350F.
Wow! I just made this (attempted to wait the 15 minutes before cutting into it, but I only made it to 8), and it is AH-MAY-ZING! I added a cup of broccoli and used kale in place of spinach since it’s what I had on hand, but other than that I followed the recipe. This is so delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Used two cups of oat flour instead and it came out great! I also added a few teaspoons of chia seeds which made it stickier and harder to spread out in the pan (had to oil the back of a spoon to spread out the dough) I probably should have salted my filling a little bit more because i didn’t measure it out but this is really good and my non-veg fam enjoyed it a lot. Might even add another tablespoon of nutritional yeast. This can be super easy to play with.
Super great recipe I am so happy with it!
Just made this quiche and it is SUPERB! It took me a bit longer to prepare everything but the end result was super yummy. Thanks Ang! Every receipe I make of yours gets me one step closer to a vegan lifestyle.
This is amazing! I made it this morning and substituted broccoli for the mushrooms (hubby isn’t a big mushroom fan) and it turned out fabulous!! Thank you for another great recipe- I love your blog and can’t wait for your book to come out!
Tried this tonight! We loved it! Thanks for creating and sharing :)
Hi Angela, I love, love, love your recipes!!! I have just found your site and want to thank you so much. I have developed a sensitivity to Gluten, Corn, Dairy and Soy. So your site has helped me just be able to eat good food!!! I have been a vegetarian most of my life, but, now really have gone vegan:) I haven’t done very much cooking in the past, but, have been forced to get in the kitchen to survive. Your recipes are delicious and I am beginning to like cooking!!!! Do you know of a substitute I could use in your recipes that call for Tofu? Maybe using cashews or almonds mixed with something???? Your basil cashew cheese is to die for!!!! Can I use to sub this for the tofu in the quiche, how much would I use?? Many Thanks, you are an angel, please keep doing what you are doing:)
Many Thanks,
Joanne
Hey Joanne, So glad you are enjoying the blog! It depends on the recipes (as for a tofu sub), so it’s really hard to say. I haven’t tried a swap for the tofu in this recipe yet. I’ve heard pureed chickpeas might work though, but that would probably require some tweaking. Hope this helps!
do you think leeks would be an appropriate substitute for the chives?
Yes I think that would be fine :) enjoy!
I just wanna let everybody know, I did this recipie with a friend yesterday AND-WE-LOVED-IT!!…I’m definitely doing it again!
Hello Karen, I’m so happy you both enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
I made this crust using almond pulp and an extra tablespoon of coconut oil and it was great! My omnivorous family loved it too, thanks.
Just made it for my boyfriend, mother and I… everyone loved it!!!
That crust is phenomenal! Actually, the whole thing is phenomenal. I just made it for dinner and have a full, happy belly. What I want to know is how Eric was able to enjoy leftovers twice a day until it was finished! I’m not sure this thing will last the whole night between me and my boyfriend!
Made this for dinner tonight – both my hubby (a vegan skeptic) & I loved it! The consistency was almost exactly like the egg version & although the crust was quite a bit different, I think I liked it better than the traditional pastry. Looking forward to leftovers!!
Hi Angela,
I absolutely love your blog and am absolutely crazy about this recipe! I made it last night and was so pleased with the result. It tastes cheesy and buttery and is so incredibly satisfying. My fiancé said he wouldn’t have even guessed that it was vegan. Turns out he isn’t a big fan of sun dried tomatoes, so he didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I did, but he said the crust was really great. I am definitely going to make this recipe again and will sub the tomatoes for something else – or I’ll just make it exactly as is again so I can have the whole quiche to myself :) Awesome awesome awesome recipe!
Just enjoyed a slice of this quiche – it’s delicious. I love the texture of the crust. I used whole-wheat flour in place of the oats and it holds together extremely well. Would love to try it with red bell peppers sometime.
Could this be made in muffin tin like mini crustless versions?
Made this tonight for my boyfriend and we ate half of it in one sitting! SO. GOOD.
I am still playing with this. I am also pureeing tempeh with the tofu and I add a tablespoon or less of miso. Amazing! The tempeh really adds something to it and it is super good for you.
Looks delicious! How much flour would a cup of rolled oats come out to when ground? I dont have a way to grind it, and buy it already ground.
hey Aya, 1 cup rolled oats usually equals about 1 cup oat flour. hope this helps!
Thank you Angela!
Great Recipe! Didn’t have time to make a crust, so after I had completed preparation of your ingredients, I added some quinoa I had left over from a previous meal. I left the tofu in tiny chopped pieces instead of puree and the only other thing I changed was take out the oil, use vegetable broth to sautéed the veggies. Didn’t know if my husband would like or not…to my delight…He Did! I then did the same recipe for a couple of friends who came over for lunch a few days later. I served it hot over kale/spinach with a butternut squash bisque… YUM!
Thanks again for a great recipe! Your blog is now one of my “go to” places for recipes…easy to follow and love the pictures!
I’m just putting my attempt in the oven now! I didn’t have all the same ingredients you did so I improvised! Mine was just onions, garlic, broccoli and spinach. I also added vegan shredded cheese that I had (I have had the hardest time trying to find nutritional yeast!) and I also made them in tiny tart pans. We shall see! Either way, I’m super pumped!